Monday, 21 November 2016

How to Cope with Baggage Loss

Your Bags are one of the most important
things you carry while Travelling. It is on No.3 after Travel Documents and
Money. Every year almost 20 million Bags are lost during Transit. Airlines are
working very hard to minimize the number of Bags lost. The increase in Global
Travel has also increased the number of Bags lost. Apart from this, Bags are also stolen. Scamsters are always searching for soft
targets. In fact, nowadays there are cases of Bag contents being stolen by
Baggage Handling Staff. In this Blog, we will tell you what to do in case your
Bags get Lost in transit. We will also share a few things you can do to reduce
the chances of baggage loss. The information in this Blog also includes inputs
from other regular travelers as well. Let’s get started…..

1.Track Record of Airline: Some
Airlines are very efficient in Baggage handling. While some are bad. Research
on Social Media about their Track Record. If you find fewer complaints of
Passengers, then the Airline is efficient enough to be trusted. Nowadays, a lot
of travelers come on Social Media and share their experiences. Join social
media groups and interact with other travelers.

2.Airport Track Records: Though
most of the Airports are efficient, but if you find complaints against any of
them, don’t fly through them. Most of the Transit is taken care by Airline
staff but sometimes Airport Baggage Handling Systems are bad.

3.Contact Airport/Airline Staff:
If your Bag didn’t arrive at Baggage Claim, contact the Airline or Airport
staff about it. They will fill up a form with specifications of the Bag. This
enables them locate your Bag easily. The Airline will be responsible for
delivering the Bags to your Destination, and also compensate for the same. This
is like an FIR to the Airline.

4.Stolen Bag: If your Bag is
stolen at the Airport, contact the Airport staff. Bags stolen on Airports are
not responsibility of Airline. There are numerous Airline companies operating,
you can’t fix responsibility on any of them.

5.Avoid Multiple Stopovers: Those
who are regular on our Blogs know that we have talked about it very often. More
than one stopover increases the probability of Check-In- Bags getting lost.
Have one or no stopover to your Destination.

6.Avoid Multiple Airlines: Many
times people are booked on Multiple Airlines with Multiple Stopovers. This is
another situation which needs to be avoided. It is as vulnerable as having
multiple stopovers. Though there are some Airline tie-ups which are good. The
Tie-up between Emirates and Qantas is very popular. People fly to Dubai from
Australia on a Qantas Flight, and connect to an Emirates Flight from Dubai.

7.GPS Devices: Technology is growing
day by day. Recently a GPS Device was launched for regular Travelers. This
device contains a SIM, and is connected to your Phone via App. In case your Bag
gets lost, the App will scan its location by using GPS. Right Now it is only
for regular travelers, because it requires a monthly subscription fee. In the
Future there are chances of Nano GPS Devices attached to Luggage which would be
capable of tracking their location.

8.Hand Baggage Essentials: Have
all your important documents, Money and a few clothes in Hand Baggage. It is
helpful in case your check-in Bag is lost. For more Tips, read our Blog- “Things to carry in Hand Luggage”.

9.Remove Old Tags: Sometimes
Passengers don’t remove their old Airline Tags of their previous journey.
Please remove them as they may confuse the Airline staff or the scanning
machine, diverting the luggage.

10.Have Limited Bags: Carry less
number of Bags. Carrying a lot of luggage requires more attention and care. Try
and carry limited items, and Reduce Weight of your Travel Bag.

11.Travel Insurance: Some Travel
Insurance companies offer policies having coverage for lost baggage. If your
bag is lost, they compensate you for the same. Check your policy features &
coverage carefully before purchasing Travel Insurance.

These were some tips for reducing
chances of Baggage Loss, and what to do when your Bag is lost. If you want to
add something more, please comment down below. Let this be beneficial for all
travelers.